The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

A quirky, entertaining and thought-provoking tour of the unexpected connections between words, read by Simon Shepherd. What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces? The Etymologicon springs from Mark Forsyth's Inky Fool blog on the strange connections between words.

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Publisher's Summary

A quirky, entertaining and thought-provoking tour of the unexpected connections between words, read by Simon Shepherd. What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces?

The Etymologicon springs from Mark Forsyth's Inky Fool blog on the strange connections between words. It's an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language, taking in monks and monkeys, film buffs and buffaloes, and explaining precisely what the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening.

If you could sum up The Etymologicon in three words, what would they be?

witty, educational, British

What does Simon Shepherd bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Wry British humour

Any additional comments?

The subject matter itself is quite dry - it's the history of words & phrases in the English language. Some may find that knowing the origin of the word "heroin" might not be worth their time or Audible credit (it was a trademark by Bayer for a cough syrup). But for language & history buffs, this is a great investment of your time & money.

A very good mix of knowlege, humour and interest. I didn't mind missing parts because I can listen again.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Will

Portsmouth, United Kingdom

1/6/13

Overall

"Brilliant and hilarious book"

Despite listening to this book 3 times over now I still am at a loss for the correct words to describe just how much I love it! Etymology can often be a dry subject but Mark Forsyth shows a real love and appreciation for the neglected words of our language. I was surprised at how how funny this book is and immediately had to down load his second book The Horologycon which was just as interesting and just as funny :) Can't recommend them highly enough!!

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Paul

Dunbar, United Kingdom

12/23/12

Overall

"Words, words, words."

I really loved this book and the way it entwined words and their meanings together in a witty and sometimes intricate way. Anyone who enjoys tv programmes like Stephen Fry's QI will enjoy the trivia and references to our social, cultural and geographical history. I particularly took pleasure when words which I have always taken for granted suddenly took on new meanings and I had many eureka moments with the realisation of where these meanings came from. My only frustration; kept on having to pause and rewind, as the associations between words and their meanings moves through the text (you know what I mean) at some pace, I was still absorbing the previous paragraph when the equally interesting next section being narrated.

An excellent volume, well done Mr Forsyth.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Eva

Co. longford, Ireland

2/21/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Perfect in so many ways."

Any additional comments?

I have dipped into this several times since I finished it, it's a lovely way to have a 'short listen'. I'm surprised how well-suited the subject matter is to the audiobook format.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

margaret mclaren

scotland

12/15/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Interesting"

What did you like most about The Etymologicon?

It's a book you can dip in and out of easily. There is always something new to learn. Entertaining at the same time. You can easily imagine the author dropping these thoughts into general conversation.

What about Simon Shepherd’s performance did you like?

Easy to listen to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

You could do if you wanted. I enjoyed it most because you could put it down for a while and pick it up again without having to start at the beginning again.

Any additional comments?

I don't normally listen to non fiction, but i really enjoyed this book and will look for more by this author.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Balor of the Evil Eye

Éire

8/19/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Informative, well-researched and witty."

This is one of those titles that provides the listener with endless fodder for appearing well-educated when chatting with friends in the pub. The origin of words is often a very interesting topic; this publication proves, as so many other books on etymology have, that what you believed something meant was actually wrong. The changes in the accepted meaning of words, or, indeed how they are changed to fit human bias or assumptions (burnsides to sideburns is a good example), is well illustrated here - memes abound! The creation of a concatenation of words to show the change in their meaning from their origin is quite successful and often illuminating.The narrator has a prissy, English accent, perfectly suited to the subject matter and quite good for delivering the witty asides that punctuate the book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Mark Parris

Epsom, UK

7/8/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Fantastic Book"

If you could sum up The Etymologicon in three words, what would they be?

Fascinating, Interesting, Brainstorming

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It made me think that if they taught etymology in schools, we would have a head start when it comes to learning foreign languages.

Any additional comments?

Fantastic Book that I originally bought as a paperback for a flight to the USA, after the flight I found I wanted to finish the book - but had no time to do so, so I reverted to the audio book and have been amazing my friends with random bits of trivia ever since. For me the book of the year so far.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Dawn

CUPAR, United Kingdom

7/8/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great listen"

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend The Etymologicon to anyone with an interest in language.

What did you like best about this story?

The author takes your on a fascinating tour of the english language and circles all the way around to where he began in a really amusing way. Each chapter very neatly segues into the next with fun and surprising connections between words that most people wouldn't expect.

Any additional comments?

The only bad thing about this audiobook was that I could have gone on listening for weeks and I was pretty disappointed when it was over. It definitely could have been longer. Fingers crossed there will be a sequel!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Kirsty

West Molesey, Surrey, United Kingdom

7/20/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Witty, entertaining, and allows you to show off!"

What did you like most about The Etymologicon?

The conversational writing style immediately makes you feel like you're having a fascinating conversation with a close friend.

What did you like best about this story?

It's not really a story as in fact it's a circular ramble through the origins and meaning of words we use both everyday and rarely, but I do love linking French chickens to the group ferrying of children to school.

Which character – as performed by Simon Shepherd – was your favourite?

Well he's really voicing the character of the author Mark Forsyth but he does it with warmth and charm and I enjoy listening to his voice as much as the words he is saying

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It's not that kind of book but I did get funny looks on the train as it's regularly laugh out loud

Any additional comments?

I like this book so much I think I'm a little in love with the author so I think it's definitely worth a punt if you like something a bit different and often find yourself thinking 'I wonder why it's called a proving ground?' or 'Why do we say Dutch courage are they particularly drunken or cowardly?' although you may also want to get out more...

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Galbally Jr.

1/28/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Fascinating"

This book was even better than expected. Having been taken by a sudden urge to find out the meanings of word, I was glad to do so in such an entertaining manner. Narration was excellent, engaging and enjoyable.Such a good book I got a paper copy for reference and bookmarked the inky fool blog. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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